Sunday's letters: Suppression?

Published: Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 18, 2014 at 6:04 p.m.

To the editor: If the new voter law in North Carolina is the worst in the nation, why did the voter turnout in the just recently completed primary election exceed the turnout in previous elections?

All the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the left about voter suppression in North Carolina is hogwash.

Bill Burnette

Hendersonville

The real world

To the editor: Some folks apparently read too many Scrooge McDuck comics as children. In case you’ve forgotten, Scrooge McDuck was Donald Duck’s rich uncle, and his favorite pastime was to sit in his basement vault and run his fingers through all the cash.

Now let’s look at the real world: Rich folks don’t store their money, they put it to work to earn even more. They invest in stocks, bonds and/or the money market. In each case, their money allows businesses to expand, hire more people and provide more benefits. The fewer taxes the rich folks have to pay, the more money there is in the business sector.

In a sense, much of their money will wind up providing tax revenue, anyway, by all the formerly unemployed people.

Some would argue that our era of greatest prosperity occurred in the ’40s and ’50s when the marginal tax rates were the highest. If you’ll recall, every other industrialized country was spending every dime trying to recover from World War II. Consequently, America had no international competition. We were the only game on the planet. Thus, we prospered in spite of the tax rates, not because of them. That won’t work today.

Ed Nielsen

Hendersonville

Follow her lead

To the editor: I was saddened to hear of the passing of a Henderson County treasure, Mary Mims. Our loss is heaven’s gain. Mary was one of those people you meet along life’s highway who impact your life the moment you meet them. I had the distinct honor and privilege to be on the Blue Ridge Community College board of trustees with Mary. Her life was about service and giving back to her community.

If only we all followed Mary’s lead, how much better our community, state and nation would be! Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” What an example Mary Mims has been and will continue to be through the actions of her family, friends and students.

Mary’s soft voice, grace and smile always gave you the feeling that you were important regardless of who you were or where you came from. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Mary’s entire life revolved around doing for others.

To honor the legacy and memory of a great lady, let us follow her lead and do something for others.

George H. Erwin Jr.

Retired sheriff, Fletcher

An oligarchy

To the editor: Sir Winston Churchill observed, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” And Chief Justice John Marshall is quoted as saying, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”

Though we officially remain a republic, we seem to have morphed into a small “d” democracy that could be labeled a “pollocracy.” Members of the legislature seem to be taking their direction from public opinion polls, evidently, to ensure their continued re-election to cushy career jobs.

Most of us who have responded to political polls realize how easy it is for the sponsors to guarantee the results they want. Questions are worded so that they can only answered in the desired way. Additionally, poll results are influenced by education, occupation, politics, age distribution, geography, etc., a small sample population, all easily controlled by the sponsors.

I submit that we have become subjects of an oligarchy manipulating opinion polls of low-information voters. Together with President Barack Obama’s disregard for either the law or polls, we are experiencing chaos and diminishing freedoms beyond either Sir Winston’s or Justice Marshall’s imaginations.

<p class="bold allcaps">Suppression?</p>
<p>To the editor: If the new voter law in North Carolina is the worst in the nation, why did the voter turnout in the just recently completed primary election exceed the turnout in previous elections?</p><p>All the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the left about voter suppression in North Carolina is hogwash.</p><p><em>Bill Burnette</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>The real world</h3>
<p>To the editor: Some folks apparently read too many Scrooge McDuck comics as children. In case you've forgotten, Scrooge McDuck was Donald Duck's rich uncle, and his favorite pastime was to sit in his basement vault and run his fingers through all the cash.</p><p>Now let's look at the real world: Rich folks don't store their money, they put it to work to earn even more. They invest in stocks, bonds and/or the money market. In each case, their money allows businesses to expand, hire more people and provide more benefits. The fewer taxes the rich folks have to pay, the more money there is in the business sector.</p><p>In a sense, much of their money will wind up providing tax revenue, anyway, by all the formerly unemployed people.</p><p>Some would argue that our era of greatest prosperity occurred in the '40s and '50s when the marginal tax rates were the highest. If you'll recall, every other industrialized country was spending every dime trying to recover from World War II. Consequently, America had no international competition. We were the only game on the planet. Thus, we prospered in spite of the tax rates, not because of them. That won't work today.</p><p><em>Ed Nielsen</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Follow her lead</h3>
<p>To the editor: I was saddened to hear of the passing of a Henderson County treasure, Mary Mims. Our loss is heaven's gain. Mary was one of those people you meet along life's highway who impact your life the moment you meet them. I had the distinct honor and privilege to be on the Blue Ridge Community College board of trustees with Mary. Her life was about service and giving back to her community.</p><p>If only we all followed Mary's lead, how much better our community, state and nation would be! Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” What an example Mary Mims has been and will continue to be through the actions of her family, friends and students.</p><p>Mary's soft voice, grace and smile always gave you the feeling that you were important regardless of who you were or where you came from. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” Mary's entire life revolved around doing for others.</p><p>To honor the legacy and memory of a great lady, let us follow her lead and do something for others.</p><p><em>George H. Erwin Jr.</em></p><p><em>Retired sheriff, Fletcher</em></p><h3>An oligarchy</h3>
<p>To the editor: Sir Winston Churchill observed, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” And Chief Justice John Marshall is quoted as saying, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”</p><p>Though we officially remain a republic, we seem to have morphed into a small “d” democracy that could be labeled a “pollocracy.” Members of the legislature seem to be taking their direction from public opinion polls, evidently, to ensure their continued re-election to cushy career jobs.</p><p>Most of us who have responded to political polls realize how easy it is for the sponsors to guarantee the results they want. Questions are worded so that they can only answered in the desired way. Additionally, poll results are influenced by education, occupation, politics, age distribution, geography, etc., a small sample population, all easily controlled by the sponsors.</p><p>I submit that we have become subjects of an oligarchy manipulating opinion polls of low-information voters. Together with President Barack Obama's disregard for either the law or polls, we are experiencing chaos and diminishing freedoms beyond either Sir Winston's or Justice Marshall's imaginations.</p><p>Despite Obama's warning, we didn't think it possible!</p><p><em>Jerome (Jack) Lorenz</em></p><p><em>Mills River</em></p><p><em></em></p>